Privacy Policy - Forest Gate Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Forest Gate Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Forest Gate Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, makes an enquiry, or otherwise interacts with us in connection with carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, rug cleaning, stain treatment, and related domestic or commercial cleaning services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We aim to collect only the information we need, use it only for clear and legitimate purposes, and keep it only for as long as necessary.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity details: your name, and where relevant, the name of a business or property manager.
Contact details: address, phone number, email address, and service location.
Service details: information about the type of cleaning requested, property access notes, preferred dates and times, and any special instructions.
Billing and payment information: payment records, invoice details, and transaction references. We do not store full card details where payment is processed securely by a third-party provider.
Communication records: messages, enquiry history, complaints, feedback, and notes from phone calls or emails.
Technical information: limited data such as IP address, browser type, or device information if you interact with our digital systems.
Property and cleaning information: details about carpet condition, stains, materials, room layout, and any practical factors needed to deliver the service safely and effectively.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you choose to provide it. If such information is shared with us, for example in relation to access needs or health-related circumstances, we will handle it carefully and only where permitted by law.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data only where we have a valid lawful basis. Typical uses include:

responding to enquiries and preparing quotations;
booking and delivering cleaning services;
managing customer relationships and service records;
issuing invoices, taking payment, and managing accounts;
handling complaints, refunds, and follow-up requests;
meeting legal, accounting, and tax obligations;
maintaining internal records and service quality;
protecting our business, staff, customers, and property;
preventing fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access.

We may also use anonymised or aggregated information to understand service demand, improve operations, or measure performance. This information does not identify any individual.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for every use of personal data. We rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract or to perform a contract with you. This includes arranging cleaning appointments, delivering the agreed service, managing payments, and communicating about the service.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. Examples include improving our services, keeping accurate records, responding to queries, and protecting against misuse or fraud.

Legal Obligation

We process some information to comply with legal duties, such as tax, accounting, health and safety, and record-keeping obligations.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for optional communications or for the use of certain non-essential data. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors or independent controllers, only when necessary and appropriate. These parties help us provide and manage our services.

Payment processors: to handle secure payment transactions.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers: to manage invoices, tax records, and financial administration.
IT and hosting providers: to store or support business systems, communications, and data security.
Scheduling or customer management software providers: to help organise bookings and service records.
Professional advisers: such as accountants or legal advisers where needed for compliance or dispute resolution.
Public authorities: where disclosure is required by law, regulation, or court order.

All processors are required to act under our instructions, keep personal data secure, and use it only for the agreed purpose. We do not sell personal data.

In some circumstances, personal data may be transferred outside the UK. If that happens, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as an adequacy decision or approved contractual protections.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the nature of the relationship.

Quotation and enquiry records: generally retained for a limited period to manage follow-up, customer service, and business administration.
Service and invoice records: retained for the period needed for accounting, tax, and legal compliance.
Complaint and dispute records: kept for as long as necessary to resolve the issue and protect our legal position.
General correspondence: retained only while relevant to the ongoing relationship or operational need.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

6. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff confidentiality obligations, and restricted access to records. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to keep your information safe and up to date.

7. Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances, you have rights under data protection law in relation to your personal data. These rights may include:

Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing: to ask us to limit how we use your data in specific cases.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability: to request transfer of certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal limits or exemptions. If you exercise one of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental and necessary for service delivery, such as household access arrangements. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child inappropriately, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use online tools that rely on cookies or similar technologies, these may be used for basic functionality, performance, or security. Where required by law, we will seek consent before placing non-essential cookies. Any such tools are used in a way that is limited and proportionate to our operational needs.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our internal practices. When we do, we will make the revised version available and update the effective date where appropriate. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically.

11. Complaints and Further Information

If you have concerns about how we handle personal data, you have the right to raise the matter with the relevant data protection authority. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You may also contact us directly to exercise your rights or to ask questions about this policy.

By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. We will always aim to process your data with care, in a lawful and privacy-conscious manner, and only to the extent needed to provide high-quality services to our customers in the area.